I'm honored to be in the company of email experts like Laura Atkins, David Daniels, Simms Jenkins, Chad White and more in this new piece of email marketing wisdom from Adobe Marketing Cloud on doing email marketing right.
Check out Teaching the Email Marketer How to Fish and let me know in comments below what words of wisdom you would add, as well as if you agree or disagree with any of my comments such as:

With endless approaches christened “best practices” and infinite blog posts on the latest email optimization tactics, it can be difficult to determine where it’s worth investing your email marketing money and manpower.
Questions like these abound:

Does my company need abandoned cart/browse campaigns if we’re not an ecommerce or retail marketer?

Are reactivation campaigns worth it, or should I just cull unresponsive subscribers from our list?

How much marketing automation do I need? Do I need an ESP or MA platform?

Do multi-touch campaigns (like a welcome series) outperform single message-campaigns? Is the extra effort to create a series worth it?

Would my company benefit from reputation management and delivery services? What’s it worth?

Time for a guest post this month from Kath Pay, fellow email marketing industry pro and panelist with me at the Email Innovations Summit hosted by Only Influencers. Read on as Kath shares her wisdom about how computer learning empowers email marketing innovation and response for optimal results.

Science Fiction or Reality?

"Machine learning" has moved out of science fiction and into real-life applications, like powering Tesla cars that run on autopilot and robots that can beat humans at the Japanese game of Go. For marketers, it gets them closer to their email nirvana: true 1:1 personalization on a mass scale.
Machine learning, at its simplest, is a method of data analysis that allows computers to learn – to analyze, predict and act – without explicit instructions or programming.
That last phrase – "without explicit instructions or programming" – highlights the difference between today's rule-based marketing automation and systems that use machine learning.

If yours is like the majority of companies reliant on email marketing to nurture leads, generate sales and grow revenue, you’re not sending fewer messages, you’re sending more. As programs become more sophisticated, they also become more complex, and that complexity bleeds over into both planning and scheduling. Which campaigns and messages deserve top priority? What’s more important – broadly targeted one-to-many foundational programs or automated, triggered 1:1 campaigns? What about the mix of promotion vs. content over an extended period? These questions and more are just the tip of the iceberg email marketers face when building their annual plans.
The answers aren’t always easy and are different for every industry and marketer, but there is a process for success

If yours is a retail or e-tail business revving up your holiday email marketing engines, this advice is not for you (but good luck and Godspeed!)
If on the other hand you’re in the same camp as non-retailers - your email messages running the risk of being stampeded by the crushing annual blow of “buy now” retail promotional messages to consumer inboxes from September through December - read on.
Although some non-retail sectors (travel and hospitality among them) experience an uptick during the holiday season, most can’t count on the lion’s share of their annual revenues to cascade in during Q4. Still, that doesn’t mean we don’t have sales and marketing goals to reach; goals that email carries a lot of weight for.
So how do you break from the retail holiday marketing pack during the busy season and what (if anything holiday-related) type of email should you send?

Here's how to know if an email marketing coach can help you, how to get the most from coaching, and where to find one

You’ve probably heard the saying “The devil is in the details” and never is it truer than in email marketing, where small changes or omissions can make big differences in response, revenue, or even which side of the law you’re on.
Agencies and consultants like us specialize in email marketing strategy and advice, but most require longer-term engagements or are best for companies that rely heavily on email as a revenue-producing channel and need continuous, ongoing support.
But what if you just have a few questions? Or are temporarily stuck? Can't find the answers online? Or simply want to pick an expert's brain for a day? The good news is there are solutions to fit an entire spectrum of needs. Read on to learn what to ask your email coach and where to find one (often for free!)

You probably know by now that segmentation improves email marketing performance significantly, so if you’re still operating primarily in “batch and blast” mode it’s time to start slicing and dicing your subscriber file.
Marketers who practice list segmentation see better open and click-through rates, fewer unsubscribes and better deliverability. The reasons are obvious: segmentation creates discreet audiences we can laser-target with offers, creative, and information crafted specifically for them, at just the right time. This in turn improves relevancy and

After fifteen years in email marketing, I recently joined the board of the Email Experience Council (EEC) - the industry association for legitimate email marketing and the nexus of entrepreneurs, executives and experts leading the email marketing world itself.
Shortly before the EEC's annual Email Evolution Conferenceearlier this month, the organization sat down with me for a discussion about careers in email marketing. We covered what up-and-coming professionals in email, as well as CMOs and senior execs responsible for the channel, need to know and develop in the way of talent, skills and mindset. That interview follows.
If you're currently cultivating or considering a career involving email marketing, read on to learn about the great growth opportunities that await.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of joining many of my fellow email industry colleagues in Miami at the Email Evolution Conference. Hosted annually by the Direct Marketing Association’s Email Experience Council (eec), the event kicks off the email conference year by bringing brands, advocates, vendors and thought leaders together under the south Florida sun to discuss, debate and share innovations and pressing issues central to email marketing.
Here without further ado are key insights, wisdom and lessons learned (including my own) from this year’s event:

Inspiration from the 2015 Email "To-Do" Lists of Leading Brands

I'm just back from the MediaPost Email Insider’s Summit at Deer Valley in Utah ski country. Boasting record attendance and the active participation of big brands, the event is always a nexus for email marketing growth, expansion and innovation ideas. With attendees from Wendy’s, Office Depot, Amazon, Bank of the West, Angie’s List, American Airlines and countless other marquee brands, this time didn't disappoint. In short: everyone’s excited (and in some cases a little daunted by) the email marketing goals they aim to accomplish in the coming year.
Here’s what’s on the 2015 “to-do” list of top marketers and should be on yours as well:

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